Tails at the Crossroad
by Wise Old p1neapple
Summary: "Please, I-I didn't mean to" I stuttered.  I felt something cold and cylindrical press up against my forehead.  Then came the harsh, all too familiar voice, "You stole from the government, and you must pay. This is how we deal with terrorists"
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I was watching my favorite show, Chuck, the other day and just thought it would be funny if Tails got the intersect.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic and Co. or the show Chuck.

Tails' POV

"Um, General, why exactly are we here?" I asked meekly, shuffling from foot to foot in nervousness. I've never stood in front of a G.U.N. General before, so I didn't quite know what to expect when I got the call. The General was taller than anyone else here. He was a dark graphite-grey wolf with steel coloured eyes. He wore a flawless green military uniform with a bunch of medals and stars on his shoulders.

"You are here," the General began calmly, "because your help is no longer needed" Everyone was shocked, but none so much as Sonic.

"You're…firing us?" he asked, too shaken to form more complex sentences.

"No, Sonic, not at all. It's more of an honorable discharge"

"Well, why are we being _discharged_? Aren't we good enough for you?" Amy asked, obviously annoyed. She looked like she was a second away from taking out her hammer.

The general smiled. "Because we have devised a way to combat Robotnik more efficiently, possibly to take him out"

"Intriguing. Can we see it?" I asked eagerly. The General shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but only people with a certain level of clearance are allowed to see it" he looked truly disappointed. "But, if you were willing to join the Crossroad Project, you could gain the necessary clearance" I mulled it over for a while. See a new form of top secret government counter terrorist weaponry and join the military and have to go to boot camp and stuff, or refuse and stay at home inventing stuff. The cons vastly outweighed the pros.

Then Sonic spoke up "If we were to join would we be able to fight Eggman again?"

"Most definitely. And not just Dr. Robotnik. You would become and agent of G.U.N. and in esscence, a spy" Amy nearly passed out at the thought of her Sonic being a debonair government super-spy.

"I'll consider it"

"Well, if you reconsider, you know where to go" the General said. He motioned for us to leave. As we headed for the door, the ceiling exploded overhead, and through the newly-created hole, dropped several of Eggman's robots along with the fat Doctor himself.

"Ho ho ho! Fancy meeting you here, Sonic! Now what is this I hear about new government technology meant to take me out?"

"Dr. Robotnik…" the General snarled. I saw him reach for something, presumably a gun. The robots immediately grabbed Sonic and Amy, who were struggling in the iron grip of the badniks. Knuckles and the General were fighting furiously against the ever-increasing tide of robots.

"Tails! Go get help!" Sonic shouted over all the noise.

"No!" Eggman shouted. "Stop that fox!" At least ten of Eggman's badniks were following me. Just from looking at them I could tell I couldn't take them in a fair fight. They chased me down a long hallway. At the end there were two possible courses of action; one) take the elevator and be beaten to death before escaping, or two) try the other door. Ignoring the elevator, I ran straight for the door. Locked. It needs a keycard as well as a retina and thumbprint scan to open. Oh, wait, I left out option number three: just get beaten to death by maniacal robots. In desperation, I resorted to banging on the door in hopes that someone in there would let me in. Instead, I was ignored and the robots caught up to me. The robot in the lead threw a punch aimed at my face. Instinctively, I ducked. The robots' punch sailed right into the door, busting it off its figurative hinges. Without hesitation, I crawled inside the room. It was nearly ten degrees cooler in here than it was outside. The wasn't the only thing strange about the room; it was covered, ceiling, floor, walls, in these ugly white tiles, about two feet by two feet. Then, there was what appeared to be a computer on a podium in the center of the room. Maybe that computer can help. I ran over and searched the thing for any sort of power button; there wasn't, only a keyboard. Just before I pressed a key, when my fingertips were resting on the keys, the screen flickered on and displayed a message: DO YOU WISH TO RUN CROSSROAD PROGRAM? I hit the enter key in hopes that this "Crossroad Program" was useful in destroying robots. Rather than destroying robots, what I thought had been tiles were actually T.V. screens, and within seconds of pressing the enter key, they came to life bringing with them a colourful barrage of images.

This might seem strange, but the pictures didn't feel like regular pictures. The _looked_ like regular pictures, but they felt heavy, like drops of water in a bucket, progressively getting heavier. My eyes twitched involuntarily and darted soaking up every available picture in the room. I no longer had control over my eyes, but I was unharmed. The badniks weren't as lucky. Something about the pictures made them malfunction. At first they just jerked and whirred, then they started convulsing and smoking, leading up to a point where their ultrasonic sensors exploded and they collapsed in heaps of scrap metal. And then, after a good ten minutes, the pictures stopped. I blinked once, then twice; I could still see some of the images. Everything seemed to be moving, like when you spin around in circles, then spin in the opposite direction. Sonic and the others ran in a few moments later.

"Tails! Buddy! Are you ok?" Sonic asked. I could only nod. His voice sounded weird, like he was underwater. Or maybe it was just me. The General bypassed me and ran directly to the computer.

"He ran the program, successfully, and he lived" the General sounded both scared and ecstatic, but that might just be me out of whack from those pictures. I didn't like hearing the "and he lived" part, but my head hurt too much for me to care. My knees buckled, and I collapsed on the cold floor. While everything else was blurry, one thing stood out in clarity that should have been impossible. A line of writing on the terminal: Crossroad Sequence Successful. And then my eyesight faded away.

A/N: Tails, _what_ have you gotten yourself into this time? What is the Crossroad project, and what ramifications will it have on Tails' future?


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey! I'm here with the second installment to my new story. I would like to thank knAngel18, Darling I've got a dark side, and spacegodzilla360 for their words of encouragement, and Crazy Muffin Assassin for proofreading and editing.

I do not own Tails, any other Sonic character, or the song _Live Wire_.

For argument's sake, I am going to change Tails' and everyone else's age. Let's say Tails is fifteen and everyone else is aged accordingly.

Tails' POV

First, there was nothing, then, there was cold. Cold, and bright, white light. When the light and the cold started to dim and fade, figures appeared over me. They were all dressed in white coats except for one, who was dressed in cameo green.

"Whe- where" I started to ask.

"Don't speak" one of the people said. "You've just woken up a traumatic experience"

"The understatement of the century" the wolf in green scoffed. They looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place where. "Do you have any idea what happened?" I shook my head.

"After you ran the Crossroad program, we found the data to be corrupted and a great deal of the equipment to be infected with a virus. Do you have any idea how this might have happened?" again, I shook my head. Crossroad program? I've never heard of that before. Wait, was _that_ what all those pictures were? Then I noticed something on the wolf's cheek; a scar, or something like it. All at once, I felt something like vertigo, my eyes crossed, and my vision deserted me. When it came back, I saw more pictures, like the ones before. There was a page of sheet music, labeled Live Wire, AC/DC. Among them, was a file of some sort on a person called "Le Fil Vivant" and that he has a ring of assassins that work for him. They were dangerous, apparently some kind of terrorists. They were absolutely ruthless. No one knows what they look like because no one's never lived to tell the tale. Whoa! Hey! How do I know that? What's happening to me? Why is that terrorist connected to that scar?

"Well, do you?" I snapped back to attention.

"No, sir, I don't"

"I see. If you remember anything, tell us immediately" as that person left, several, more familiar people walked in: Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, and Cream.

"Hey, buddy, how are you feeling?" Sonic asked. "General Vercshlingin told us you took a header on the floor" for the first time, I noticed bandages wrapped around my head. The name _Verschlingin_ stood out among the other words in the sentence. All at once, my eyes crossed involuntarily. And all at once, images flooded my field of vision. Following the images was a rush of knowledge; knowledge I would probably be better off not knowing.

"Tails? Are you ok?" Cream asked. She looked genuinely worried.

"What? Yeah, I'm feeling better, just got a bit of a headache. How long have I been out?" I stumbled through whatever words sounded coherent in order to change the subject.

"Not long; only a day"

"Well, hopefully I can get out of here soon"

An owl, dressed in a white coat answered me. "Well, Miles, depending on how your condition is, you may be able to leave in a few days. Speaking of which, your condition, I mean, you've been having a higher than normal level of R.E.M. Do you know what that is?"

I nodded. "Yes, Rapid Eye Movement. It happens when you dream"

"Well, aside from excess levels in R.E.M., your condition is stable"

"What a relief" I sighed. But I couldn't help but wonder; what were those pictures, and how did I know all that stuff about the terrorist? And the General? Are the terrorists gonna come after me? Should I tell someone? Am I going crazy?

Shadow's POV

"Why am _I_ here?" I asked impatiently. "I don't even like faker and his merry band of misfits"

"Patience, Lance Corporal" the General replied. "Before I can tell you anything, we must wait for the director and her top agent" ugh. As if on cue, two more mobians walked in; a cat and a fox, both feminine.

"Director graham" the General said, shaking the cat's hand. Was it just me, or was there just a hint of affection in his voice?

"General Verschlingen" the cat replied warmly. Her tone turned icy. "And _you_ must be Lance Corporal Shadow. I would have thought that G.U.N.'s top soldier would be of a higher rank. And _taller_" I sneered. Always riffing off the rank.

"I'm Agent Vikki Anise" she extended her hand, but it wasn't a friendly gesture. She had golden yellow fur and light orange eyes. Her most noticeable feature, other than her stunning beauty, was her accent. British, maybe? Regardless, this fox is a killer. Rather than shaking her hand, I just glared at her. She did the same, as if trying to analyze me.

"Now, on to the matter at hand" Verschlingen cleared his throat. "When our base was attacked by Dr. Robotnik, the Crossroad computer was activated. After it's activation, the sequence ran without a hitch, but now, having tried to restart it, we found that the data has been corrupted, therefore useless" the General pressed a button and a picture of Tails appeared on a screen. "Not only that, but Miles "Tails" Prower, Sonic's friend was in the room during the test. We think he might know something. Your mission is to get close to him and develop him as an asset"

"Is that all? A kid supposedly corrupting the Crossroad computer?" Vikki asked doubtfully.

"I assure you, he's more than just a kid. He's helped defeat Dr. Robotnik almost as many times as Sonic."

"So we have to be friends with him?" I shuddered. God, all he can ever talk about is either Cosmo, or that damn biplane of his.

"Yes, or get close to him in some way. His interests include mechanics and technology. He's suffered heartbreak several years ago, a girl named Cosmo, and he's never gotten exceptionally close to anyone since" Graham answered, looking specifically at Vikki.

"Well, if you can't handle it, _I_ can certainly do it. He _is_ kind of cute" _Oh, it's on now._

"Please, where were _you_ when the Black Arms invaded?"

"Saving the Earth. If memory serves, you killed troops on _both_ sides" I snarled and clenched my fist. There is no way in hell I'm working with this fox. Seriously, she's more annoying than Rouge.

"Uh, if memory serves,_ I killed Black Doom!_"

"Will you two stop bickering? You're acting like children!" Director Graham snapped.

"Sorry, Director, but I'm not sure if I can work with a traitor"

"Deal with it. You have your assignment, now_ go!_" Vikki pushed her way past me, "accidentally" bumping my shoulder. I don't trust the director one bit. See, she's the director of another government agency, and when the Crossroad Computer was created the government agencies compiled everything they had together. Graham probably just wants it for herself so she can look good to her superiors. I had better get a promotion for this.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Spacegodzilla360, thanks for reading, but as of yet, until the story develops, chapters will be around 1000-1500 words. I'm not trying to be a jerk or anything; it's just hard to squeeze more than a few chapters out of the "Pilot" episode of _Chuck_.

Tails' POV

It's been two days, and I've finally gotten out of the hospital. I hate hospitals. The food they serve their sucks and it's always freezing cold. What am I going to do with my life now? I can't go and save the world; G.U.N. won't let us. I need to make a living somehow.

"What do you think, Sonic?" I asked. He had just come to pick me up from the hospital.

"Maybe you should join G.U.N. I've been considering it myself" my jaw dropped. Sonic the hedgehog, the Blue Blur, a symbol of freedom and nonconformance everywhere, is considering joining the military. Oh, god, he would be scrubbing floors with his toothbrush inside of ten minutes for not following orders.

"Tails? You there, buddy?" he waved his hand in front of my face.

"Yeah, but are you sure it's a good idea for me?" the image of Sonic scrubbing floors was still burned in my mind.

"Well, maybe you could do something you're good at" he scratched his chin. And then he had an idea "Maybe you could open a repair shop"

My eyes widened at the thought of being paid to fix stuff in a workshop all day. That's like being paid to play video games, or, in Amy's case, being paid to chase Sonic around. "That's brilliant!" Sonic chuckled at my enthusiasm.

"And speaking of fixing things, my TV's busted" it was my turn to chuckle. It's just like Sonic to pull something like that.

"I'll see what I can do" although, no matter where I went, I couldn't shake the displacing feeling that I was being watched.

Shadow's POV

"This has got to be the most _boring_ stakeout I've ever been on" Vikki complained, pulling the binoculars away from her face. "He's a complete and total geek"

"If it's too boring for you, you can just go home" I sneered. "I can do this without you tagging along for the ride"

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but not all espionage is shooting, abducting, and torturing"

"Then, what do you suggest?" silence. "Yeah, that's what I thought"

_Meanwhile in the third person…_

"Ok, Amy-girl, you can do this. Just channel your inner-Tails," the pink hedgehog said to herself. The T.V. in the apartment she shared with Sonic was experiencing technical difficulties to the extent that neither she, nor the blue blur could manage to resolve (i.e. being unplugged). Moments later, Sonic and a newly released Tails waltzed into the room.

"Well, it's about time you got here! For the fastest thing alive, you're not very good at being on time!" Amy harrumphed, folding her arms over her chest.

"Sorry Ames, but those doctors make you fill out all this paperwork and crap before you can leave" the hedgehog smiled apologetically. "I think I got a carpal tunnel"

Eventually, the pink hedgehog relented. "Oh, you know I can't stay mad at you"

Sonic smiled. "I know"

"Hello? Aren't I here to fix a TV?" Tails interjected.

"Right. Sorry, Tails. Follow me" Amy apologized. She led the pair into the living room where the TV was, hanging lifelessly on its mount. The yellow fox immediately went to work climbing on a chair and examining the wires and cables to see if they were connected in the right places. The two hedgehogs were making small talk while Tails worked. Finally, he found an error. One of the cables was disconnected and another was loose. Swiftly, he reconnected the loose wires. The screen came to life, broadcasting a news network.

"…And in other news, Mobian ambassador Juan Pomme-Preisly was found dead in his hotel room. Local police have no leads at this juncture, but are continuing the investigation" the reporter read from the teleprompter in the background.

Tails heard the name "Juan Pomme-Preisly" and then the vertigo feeling returned. Once again, pictures appeared before his eyes. Juan was corrupt. He owed people money, specifically Le Fil Vivant.

"It was a hit. Juan was murdered by terrorists" Tails murmured.

"How do you know?" Amy asked.

"I-I don't know…" this was all very strange. Fear crept into his expression and he climbed down from his perch from where he fixed the T.V.

"Tails, are you feeling alright? You're looking a little green"

"Yeah, I'm…fine" Tails started to sway.

"Whoa, careful there, little bro" the blue hedgehog warned as he stabilized his friend.

Tails' POV

_I'm going insane, I'm going insane, I'm going insane_. After listening to Amy and Sonic thank me a million times for something simple, I left. Only after leaving their apartment complex did I notice that I had a massive headache bearing down on my brain. I already know I don't have any aspirin or anything similar at my place, so, as much as I don't want to, I'll have to buy some. The thought of going into a noisy, bustling store in the middle of a huge city only intensified my headache, but if I want to feel better, I suppose I'll have to.

Probably the only good thing about my situation was that the nearest convenience store was not far away at all, only a block and a half.

For a convenience store, it's not very convenient. I took me ten minutes for me to find the over-the-counter medicine and such.

_Which one should I get?_ I pondered, unable to decide whether Advil, Tylenol, or Aspirin is better.

"Excuse me, sir, but do you know where they sell light bulbs?" I turned around to come face to face with a very threatening looking ginger furred wolf. I started to feel dizzy again. For a moment I blacked out. After the dizziness stopped, I recognized this wolf as a demolitions expert and _very_ dangerous. I tried extremely hard to play stupid and just tell him where the light bulbs were, but judging by the way his eyes narrowed, he wasn't fooled.

"You know what? I think they're in aisle four" as fast as I could, I turned around and fast walked off. I cast a quick glance over my shoulder. Shit! He's following me! Not only that, but he's got a murderous look in his eyes, like he's in the mood to kill an innocent, good-looking fox. I broke out into a run…only to be stopped by a large crowd of people seemingly out of nowhere.

The crowd was moving, but not making any progress. The same could not be said for the demolitions expert. He cracked the knuckles in his left hand and closed it into a fist. Slowly, he was getting closer. Maybe I'll be lucky; maybe I'll die quickly.

Then, the crowd started to move away, allowing me to escape. I shoved my way through the hoard of people, not caring how angry it made them. Even through the huge, densely packed crowd of people, I still couldn't shake the dangerous individual that was following me.

I pushed my way past the door and started twirling my tails behind me. The instant I was outside I took off, and I didn't intend on stopping until I was safe at my front door.

Exhausted, I plopped down on my bed. This is why I hate seasonal allergies; they turn even the smallest amount of physical activity into a battle to breath. And they certainly don't help headaches. Every part of me hurt. Eventually and without noticing it, I somehow managed to drift off to sleep.

A/N: Summer vacation starts in a few days here, and I'm going on a European excursion. Seeing as how I'm traveling abroad, I'll be away from my computer and won't be able to write. The soonest update will late July to mid August. Sorry for the inconvenience.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I got back from the UK the other day, and after getting over jet lag, I felt extremely inspired and just had to write something.

Tails' POV

Despite going to bed as tired as I was, I still managed to not get very much sleep. I slept roughly from eleven o'clock to two in the morning, and then I couldn't fall back asleep. At six o'clock, I couldn't take it anymore. I _had_ to get up and do _something_. Groggily, I dragged myself out of bed and walked to the kitchen.

First order of business: get coffee. Only after drinking two cups did I start to feel like my old self. Time to start a business. I took an old sheet, a brush, a can of paint, and I got to work. Within ten minutes, I was done: Tails' Repair Shop: Grand Opening. Now I just have to fasten it to my plane and take a flight around Station Square.

Shadow's POV

What the hell is he doing now? Is he going to fly his plane? Of course, he can't just do normal things, like play video games, or hang out with friends. God, I haven't shot anything in _forever_. My trigger finger has been twitching. I _need_ to shoot a terrorist or something. I can't take sitting in a van by myself, even if only for ten minutes while my "partner" is getting coffee.

Suddenly, the side door in the van opened. Instinctively, I drew my gun and pointed it at the intruder.

"Corporal! Put that away! This is a recon mission!" Vikki shouted.

"Sorry. Force of habit" I muttered, not actually sorry. She took one styrofoam cup for herself and gave the other to me. Black and bitter; just the way I like it.

"So, has the target done anything since I was last here?"

"He's flying his plane. That's it" I shrugged.

"Wait. What does that say? On the end of his plane?"

"Tails' Repair Shop: Grand Opening" her eyes lit up.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked coyly.

Uh oh, this can't be good. "Not even sort of"

Tails' POV

I took a quick tour of the city, flying to the far end, then circled around. Great, I'm sure a whole bunch of people saw my plane and are now on their way to my place. All I have to do is wait.

Waiting took about as long expected. It's been an hour already. Getting pretty bored of just sitting, I walked over to my stereo and turned it on. I pleased to hear AC/DC blaring out the speakers. Angus was playing the opening solo to _Thunderstruck_. The solo is so energetic that I couldn't help but air guitar along to it. Now that I don't have to save the world, maybe I can take up guitar.

And I started singing along. It was just getting it Angus' big solo when a feminine voice interrupted my playing.

"Excuse me,"

I whirled around to find a fox standing at the door. An attractive fox. She was wearing a blue blouse, jeans, and converse high tops.

"Am I interrupting?" she asked again. I figuratively dropped my air guitar and turned off the music.

"N-not at all" I stammered, walking over to her. "How may I help you?"

"Well," she pulled out a small rectangular device. "I've been having phone trouble"

"Ah, well, technology is my specialty. What seems to be the problem?"

"Well…I may or may not have spilled coffee on my phone" she blushed slightly.

"I see" she handed me the phone for me to examine. True to her word there was what appeared to be coffee dripping from the battery slot. Carefully, I removed the battery from its slot and set it on the counter. Now, this might sound weird, but the best thing to do if you spill any liquid on your phone, or you drop it in your drink, is to put it in a bowl of uncooked rice. You see, the rice absorbs the moisture, and effectively sucks all of the liquid away.

"Um…Is that rice?" the fox-girl asked.

"Yes"

She gave me a look that clearly read _I don't understand_. "Well, Rice absorbs water when you cook it, right? So, you put you soaked phone or whatever in it, leave it there for a while, and it's good as new"

"Oh, very interesting" I couldn't tell if she was humoring me, or if she sincerely meant it.

"Well, it'll take about an hour, so if you have anything you need to do…"

"Ok, Thanks…Tails, is it?"

I smiled. "The one and only"

She returned the smile. "I'm Vikki" she bent over the counter to supposedly write something down. "And if my phone works, this is for you" she handed me a small slip of paper with a number written on it.

Vikki's POV

That was too easy. I smirked to myself as I walked back to the van. We'll just have to wait until his calls me, which he inevitably will, Take him on a date, then bring him to H.Q and _interrogate_ him.

"Mission accomplished," I announced as I climbed back into the van.

Shadow was testier than usual. "Next time, spill coffee on your own damn phone"

"It doesn't matter how I did it, all that matters is that I got him my number. Hook, line, and sinker"

Tails' POV

I just stared blankly at the phone number in my hand. I haven't had much experience with the opposite gender, so, obviously, I have _no idea_ what I'm doing. Well, I've got time to myself while Vikki's away. Maybe Sonic'll know what to do.

I walked over to the landline and punched in his number.

"Hello?" he answered, after a few seconds of silence.

"Hi Sonic. It's me, Tails"

"Oh, hey Tails. What's up?"

"Well, I opened a repair shop and there was this customer…"

"Go on"

"She gave me her phone number"

Silence. For about thirty seconds Sonic said nothing. "Sonic? Are you there?"

"My little brother finally got a girl" Sonic sounded like he was crying. "That's…Outstanding. What kind of drug did you use on her?"

I decided to ignore that last bit. "Ok, great, I got a girl to give me her number. Now what?" No answer. At least, not from Sonic. There were sounds of a struggle emanating through the receiver and the unmistakable "Slap" noise of someone being slapped.

"Miles Prower! What is _wrong_ with you?" It was Amy. "Why on earth would you go to _Sonic_ of all people for romantic advice when _I'm_ here?"

"Will someone just tell me what to do?" I demanded.

"I will. Under two conditions"

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Shoot"

"You have to let me help and then tell me how it goes afterwards" I mulled it over for a minute. Feminine companionship and Amy overreacting over the whole thing, or remaining single while listening to Sonic gloat about it. You can imagine which one won out.

"Deal"

"You know, this is one of those things that should be told in person. I'll be right over" _What_ have I gotten myself into now?

A/N: I can't tell you how many times I've been caught air guitaring to AC/DC. The awkwardness is so thick, you can cut it with a knife. And the rice thing actually works. I dropped my phone in a cup of pepsi a few months ago. It's a little sticky, but otherwise okay.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I am so incredibly sorry for taking so long writing this chapter. On the bright side, this chapter is slightly longer than the others. I'll try to update sooner, in general and as soon as I finish my other multiple-chapter story. Thanks for your patience and support; it means the world to me.

Thank you, Crazy Muffin Assassin, for editing and proofreading.

Tails' POV

"Amy, you said you were just going to give me a few tips, not single handedly save the economy" I complained. She decided that if I wanted to make a good impression with Vikki, I would need a new look, and so, she took me to the mall.

"I'm getting to that, Tails," the pink hedgehog said as she thrust another outfit into my hands. "There, try this one"

"Any, I really don't think it's-"

"Try it!" Wishing to avoid a confrontation (and being whacked upside the head with a hammer) I took the outfit and walked into the changing booth. After changing, I walked out so Amy could judge me.

Just when I thought she was going to say this one didn't "work for me", she smiled jumped once and grabbed me by the shoulders.

"We have a match!" she squealed excitedly. I took a moment to look at myself in the mirror. Not bad. Just as I was feeling good about myself, she said my shoes didn't go with my new look and she dragged me off for new shoes.

…_Forty-seven minutes and 173 Mobian Dollars later…_

I walked into my kitchen, slammed the door behind me. I set my newly purchased clothes on the counter and went to go check on Vikki's phone. The phone looked well enough, and the rice was cooked, however unconventionally. I took up the small device and pressed the power button. The screen lit up instantly and displayed the word _Verizon_ and a red check mark. Good, it looks like it's working fine.

Just then, my doorbell rang. I set the phone down on the countertop and went to answer the door. It's probably Vikki here to pick up her phone. God forbid it be Amy. I think I've had enough of her to last the month of June. It was indeed my foxy first customer standing in the doorway, looking as beautiful as ever.

"What Tails, no AC/DC this time?"

"No, I actually just got back myself"

"Ok, I assume my phone is working now, right?"

"Correct" I said, handing the phone over to her.

"Thank you. Now, how much do I owe you?"

I smiled. "It's on the house"

She smiled back. "Thanks. And don't forget," she winked. "I'm available" She walked out and I was left with about thirty seconds of solitude before Sonic ran in. He casually walked over to my counter and leaned up against it.

"So, how'd it go?" You don't have to be a genius to know what he was referring to.

"It didn't happen" Sonic did a double take.

"Dude, you didn't ask her? Didn't you see her?"

"Yeah"

Sonic walked over to me. "And so I repeat the question: didn't you see her?"

"Yes, and she's obviously way out of my league, not to mention we met around an hour ago"

"Tails, if she gave you her number, she's definitely interested"

"Sonic, I'll ask her tomorrow. Right now, I've still got a headache; I had to put up with Amy and shopping, and you're not helping it"

"Ok, but if you don't ask her, Amy'll kill both of us"

"Whatever"

"I'll hold you to tomorrow" he said seriously. He left on that serious note.

Vikki's POV

"Here's your phone back," I said, throwing the phone back to my partner.

"I assume you have a plan?"

"Yeah, he'll call me, I'll take him out on a fake date, and then we'll take him to H.Q. and point guns if he refuses"

"I meant do you have a plan for when he doesn't call"

"What do you mean? Of course he'll call me!"

"Somehow, I doubt it" I hate Shadow. He's so stubborn and annoying! When this is over, I will make sure I never have to see him again.

…_The Next Day…_

I was having the strangest dream. I dreamt that someone broke into my house via my window and went to knife me in my sleep. That's about when a loud slamming noise woke me up. I jolted upright and scanned the room for an intruder. Standing over me was some person that didn't look like they belong in my bedroom. My heart was beating so fast, that it could out drum Keith Moon.

I was about to scream when the intruder turned on the light. The fear I previously experienced left and was replaced by annoyance.

"Sonic? How did you get in here?"

"Your window," he replied casually. I looked at him, and then at the window.

"I'm gonna buy I lock for that window," I mumbled as a pulled the covers back up to my chin.

"Come on, Tails! Wake up!" Sonic ordered, while pulling my pillow out from under my head, which then smacked into the headboard.

"I am in bed on a Sunday! Is nothing sacred to you?" I demanded, taking my pillow back.

"C'mon dude! Today's the big day! You are going to ask that girl out and take her on the best date of her life!"

"As long as we're dreaming, can I drive a Ferrari?" I said sarcastically as I stole a glance over to my alarm clock on my bedside table. Naturally, it was an ungodly hour that no human or mobian should ever be forced to wake up at, by which I mean seven-seventeen.

"Tails, pay attention! Amy already gave you some advice, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, ignore it. Just be yourself. That's how I got Amy."

"That's it?" I said while thinking that Sonic being himself to get Amy is neither impressive nor an example someone could learn anything from.

"Don't worry; I'll walk you through calling her and everything."

"Great. If you don't mind, I'm going to shower," I said, rolling out of bed. I grabbed a towel from the linen closet and then proceeded to my bathroom. I set the towel by the sink and climbed into my shower. The water flattened my fur and covered up my eyes. I washed, rinsed and repeated until my fur was clean and shiny.

I shut of the water and wrapped the towel around my waist. Sonic was waiting outside the bathroom.

"Dude, you take almost as long to shower as Amy," Sonic remarked.

"You're the one who said that today was gonna be the 'date of her life', right? Well to do that, I have to be clean," I retorted. "And what do you care how long I take? I could shower for hours and be done long enough to foil Eggman's latest scheme by lunch."

"Touché," Sonic frowned.

Then the doorbell rang.

_There's no way it could possibly be her._ I thought as I walked to my front door. As it turns out, I was right. Rather than seeing her at this awful hour, I was standing face to face with the Chaotix.

"What are you guys doing here this early?" I asked.

"We could ask you the same thing!" Charmy said, irritably.

"Quite Charmy!" Vector barked. "Well, Tails, we heard you opened up a repair shop and we wondered if you could possibly hire us?"

"What do you need a job for? Don't you have the detective agency?"

"We were shut down," Vector answered, kicking a small rock.

"Yeah, apparently you need a 'Detective's license'," Charmy grumbled.

"Well, guys, the thing is, now's not a good time, so maybe we could talk about this later?" I closed the door before they could respond.

"Who was that?" Sonic asked when I got back.

"Just the Chaotix. They were looking for a job," I responded.

"Don't they have that detective agency?"

"Apparently they were shut down."

"Maybe you could give them a job. Espio anyway, Vector and Charmy aren't good for much."

"So, are you gonna help me call Vikki now?"

"Nah, she won't be up until at least nine-thirty."

"Then why did you wake me up two and a half hours early?" Sonic stopped talking for a moment, as though the thought had never occurred to him.

"I suppose you're right; that was a poor decision on my part."

…_At nine-thirty…_

"Whaddya say? Do you wanna call her now?" Sonic asked.

"Nah, not if she's just getting up" I replied. It's just common courtesy not to call someone at the crack of dawn. But then again, I want to give her enough time to get ready, that is, if she says yes.

"Well, how much longer are we gonna wait then?"

"Oh, what the heck, let's get it over with." I walked over to the landline and started to punch in her phone number when there was a knock on the door. I set the phone down and walked over to answer the door.

Much to my surprise, it was Vikki. "Speak of the devil," Sonic said, grinning.

"Hello Tails, I've been having phones troubles again," she said.

"Spill coffee on it again?" I asked with a smile.

"No, I don't think it's able to receive calls; I haven't gotten one from you." She said with the utmost sincerity. I felt myself blush. _Oh my God, I think she actually likes me,_ I thought.

Sonic attempted to contain his laughter while I continued talking with Vikki. "So you're not actually having phone trouble?" I asked. I'm still not "fluent" for lack of a better term, at the art of flirting. I wasn't exactly sure whether she was flirting or whether her phone was actually broken again.

"No, not anymore. I just wanted to know if you wanted to go on a date, say, tonight?"

I glanced over to Sonic, who gave me a thumbs-up sign. "Sure."

"Ok, pick me up at seven. See you then," she winked at me and walked out the door. _Wait, what just happened?_

A/N: Once again, I'm so very sorry for taking so long. Apologies are nothing unless followed up with action, so I'll try to update sooner.


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